9 Steps to the Perfect Wedding Hashtag

Custom hashtags are one of those wedding non-essentials that you can easily ditch, but if you, your other half, or your guests are heavy social media users, it's a fun and easy way to build up excitement around your big day! Some of the best wedding website builders include a handy feature that makes it easy to crowd-source wedding photographs, but when it comes to sharing in-jokes and reliving funny dancefloor moments, wedding hashtags are still king.

You can create one using an online generator, and there are even companies that will do the job for you - for a fee, of course! - but the best event hashtags, be they for weddings, hen parties or stag dos, are usually created in a flash of inspiration by the person at the centre of the party! Follow these easy steps, and you'll have one in a jiffy! And remember us when you discover a video of your granny leading a conga line to Barry Manilow's Copacabana on Instagram!

1. Gather the Information for your Wedding Hashtag

Grab a piece of paper or a word processor and write down the following

your full name

your partner's full name

the date of the wedding

any other significant dates (the day you met, your first date etc.)

the year

the name of the venue

and the part of the world in which your wedding is taking place

the theme or style of your wedding

These are the tools with which to build your hashtag.

2. Brainstorm

Jot down a bunch of ideas, however silly or nonsensical they may seem. This might spark ideas for more elements to include in your hashtag: the names of your pets or children, your joint-favourite movie of all time, the red wine you always have in the cupboard, etc. Avoid the obvious contenders, which include #NameAndName (unless you're called #LoreleiAndAtticus), and generic phrases like #HappilyEverAfter and #JustMarried as your pics may get buried among dozens of others.

3. Use Our Tips

Try your hand at some of the following formats and add them to the list:

#TeamSurname or #TeamSurname2018

#OfficiallySurname

#MeetTheSurnames

#SurnameForever

#SoonToBeSurname

#NameAndNameGetMarried

#NameAndNameGotMarried

#NameAndNameTieTheKnot

#NameAndNameTiedTheKnot

#NameAndNameGetHitched

#NameAndNameGotHitched

#NameAndNameSayIDo

#NameAndNameSaidIDo

#NameLovesName

If you and your partner are from different parts of the world, or one of you speaks another language, you can also try a mixed-language hashtag like #YouHadMeAtDiaDhuit, #AlohaIreland, or #GetMeToTheChiesaOnTime.

4. Pun Your Heart Out!

If you've got a natural punner in the friend or family circle, now's the time to shoot them a message! If not, you can enhance your own punning skills using the magic of the internet!

Start with a word from the list we made in Step 1. Use rhymezone.com to find rhymes for your word, or elements of that word (the "Jack" in Jackson, for example). Enter one of the resulting rhymes in the search bar at idioms.thefreedictionary.com to find common phrases and sayings to base your pun on. Then, it's just a matter of swapping the two words. Surnames are particularly easy to do this with, for example #McBrideToBe, #HappilyEverAdams, #HitMeBabyOneMooreTime, #HowToGetAwayWithMurphy and #ByrneBabyByrne.

5. Slash the List

By now, you should have a shortlist of 10 or 20 hashtags, but before you do anything else, search for them on social media to make sure they haven't been used before. If they have, cross them off the list! You don't want some other Pauline's relatives popping up in your social media feed!

8. Polish Up Your Wedding Hashtag

Capitalise the first letter of each word for clarity, and your wedding hashtag is ready to go!

9. Spread your Wedding Hashtag Around

Now all that's left to do is let your guests know about your wedding hashtag! Talk to your stationer about including it on invitations, ceremony programs and menus, and contact one of our recommended décor suppliers about getting a custom sign or prop made. Chalkboard signs work well too and don't have to be ordered too far in advance.